Connectify Hotspot does not detect a Wi-Fi Adapter

In order to create a Wi-Fi Hotspot, your computer needs a Wi-Fi adapter. If you have a Wi-Fi adapter and Connectify is not detecting it, you may have it disabled. Here are some things to check for:

If you have a USB Wi-Fi dongle please check that it is fully inserted into your computer.

Open Connectify Hotspot and go to Tools > Control Panel > Network Connections. Look for your wireless adapter and make sure it is enabled. If it's disabled, right-click on it and enable it from the popup menu.

If you are using a laptop, please be aware that many laptops have a switch that can turn your wireless adapter ON/OFF. Sometimes this is a physical hardware switch that can be found on the side of your computer. Please make sure it’s in the ‘ON’ position.

Check to see if there is a keyboard shortcut such as Fn+F8 (the specific F# key for your computer usually shows a little Wi-Fi logo on it). Make sure the keyboard shortcut isn't disabling your adapter.

If you are running Windows 8 or newer, you should also check that you do not have Airplane Mode enabled.

If you are running any connection management software, such as a 3G or 4G dialer, these may be disabling your Wi-Fi adapter when you are connected to another network.

Your adapter could be disabled by a BIOS setting if your computer detects Ethernet is in use while connected over WiFi. Looking for an option along the lines of 'Auto LAN/WAN' switching in the BIOS and disabling it might resolve that issue.

Lastly, if Connectify can't detect your WiFi adapter, it might be because it's part of a network bridge. Removing the bridge will fix the issue.

If you do not have a Wi-Fi adapter, you will need to purchase one in order to create a Wi-Fi hotspot. Our current preferred device is the Rosewill RNX-N150UBE, available on Amazon. If you don't like that one, here are several other inexpensive USB WiFi dongles that we recommend using:

You are not limited to the adapters we recommend. There are many more USB adapters / dongles available on the market that you can use with Connectify. If you find an adapter that you like feel free to try it.